Free Speech Has Been Hung, Drawn and Quartered

Free speech is pretty well a thing of the past; it has been hung, drawn and quartered, but who notices and who cares? We have been slowly but surely conditioned to believe all is well, while all the evidence is to the contrary. In fact, we are being held to ransom. Initially the shift was subtle, now it is blatant. Like a lobster lured into a trap, or the proverbial frog warming gently in the pot on the stove, we have been lulled and coaxed into a comfortable state of complacency. But even as the gloves come off and the terror attacks begin, we still seem unable to fully comprehend that the one we nurtured as a friend has, in fact, become the enemy.

Islam

Any criticism of Islam is becoming an offence of the highest order. Ed Milliband, leader of the British Labour Party, went so far as to vow, if he came to power, that he would make it illegal to speak against Islam. It seems that voters recognised that this would sound the death-knell to free speech in Britain and voted overwhelmingly for the Conservatives. Wise move! The steady Islamisation of the West is almost a fait accompli, but Islam is just one tool in a well-equipped bag that will be used as a means of ultimate control. I believe we are thundering towards an event that will make us the spider’s dinner. In the not too distant future we will discover that the irritating threads that have progressively tightened around us have bound us in such a way as to leave no avenue of escape.

Let’s take a closer look at the way we have been trapped into complying with the tenets of Islamic fundamentalism and, as a result, forfeited our right to free speech.

1) Caricatures and representations of the Prophet Mohammad.

Although I’m not crazy about provoking a backlash for the sake of proving a point; Robert Spencer’s Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest, sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative and held in Garland, Texas, does help to spell the crisis out pretty clearly. Two Muslims shot and wounded an unarmed guard, before they were killed by police. The exhibition was intended to bring to public attention, America’s loss of freedom of speech – sadly, the attack was inevitable.

Spencer reminded his audience that historical images of Muhammad have existed for centuries. In some instances the prophet’s face was covered, generally it was not. For the most part, these works of art were made by Muslims but, back then, Muhammad was depicted with impunity. Today, creating an image of Islam’s founder, is considered an unforgivable sin, even binding on those not under Sharia law.

2) Sharia Law

Any resistance to Sharia law is labelled Islamophobic. There is absolutely no reason why Western nations, which have their own legal systems, should be subjected to Sharia. Sharia law is the outworking of the Qur’an; it is religious law that is systematically being imposed on the West. If we look at it logically, we must recognise that as Muslims have chosen to emigrate and settle in host nations, it is incumbent upon them to accept the laws and regulations of that nation. Sharia is however, being touted as a superior legal system which overrides the law of the land. To Western eyes, the use of amputation, public flogging, and beheadings are unacceptable forms of punishment. In essence, we are being told to kowtow to Islamic law simply because a minority group of Muslims live among us. Logically, there is absolutely no reason why a Muslim minority should be treated any differently to any other minority – especially if one considers the treatment of Christian and Jewish minorities in Islamic nations.

3) The Treatment of Women

Equally, any criticism of the treatment of women under Qur’anic law, is deemed Islamophobic and unacceptable. Whether it involves the full-covering of women in public places, the taking of child-brides, genital mutilation of young girls, ‘honour’ killings, or the inhumane punishments exacted upon women, none of these are open to discussion. If the late king of Saudi Arabia chose to lock away four of his daughters for the rest of the their lives, and the present king continues to keep them imprisoned, why should any other Muslim man come under criticism for doing the same, or worse? And why should paedophilia be considered immoral if Mohammad himself married a child of six? Who are we non-Muslims to criticise? What is acceptable under Sharia law and based on the Qur’an is considered beyond reproach.

4) Religious Freedom

Islam today is on the offensive primarily against Christians and Jews, but it doesn’t stop there. This form of jihad is against anyone who does not believe in the primacy of the Qur’an and in Sharia law. Non-practicing Muslims and even moderate Muslims are equally in the line of fire and, in fact, their sin is considered greater. They have known but have not followed to the utmost, therefore they are worse than the infidel. Free speech in the case of these true followers of the Qur’an is not only non-existent, it is a sin. So whether you draw a picture or a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad or not, you stand guilty and worthy of death in the eyes of a ‘true’ Muslim.

And so I’d say it’s time for a little cultural self-assertiveness. In the 19th century, they didn’t have these problems. There’s the famous story that I’ll close with from the British Raj, the British colonization of India. And in India, the Hindus — not the Muslims, but the Hindus — had the practice of sati, where the widow, the wife of a man who had just died, would be thrown upon his funeral pyre and be burnt to death. And the British outlawed it.

And the Hindu delegation came to General Sir Charles Napier, who was the governor general of the area, and they said to him — you can’t outlaw this, this is our culture. And he said — oh, it’s your culture, oh. Well then, very well. You live out your culture. But we also have a culture. And our culture is that men who force women to throw themselves on fires will be hanged by the neck until dead.

So you live out your culture, and then we’ll live out ours.

Political Correctness

Political correctness is another major way in which we have been muzzled. Increasingly, we are being reigned-in and brought under tighter and tighter controls. I hope to address this particular erosion of free speech under a separate post.